CONNECT WITH US

Young Alumna of the Year 2012: Tamara E. Mumford

Tamara E. Mumford

Mezzo-soprano, Tamara Mumford, was raised in Sandy, Utah and received her Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Utah State University in 2003. Upon graduation, Tamara accepted a scholarship to Yale University to continue her studies in Opera Performance. After one year at Yale, Tamara was invited to be a member of the prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2006 and has since sung principal roles in more than 130 performances with the company; several of which have been broadcast live to movie theaters internationally as part of the Met's Live in HD series. In addition to her work at the Met, Tamara has enjoyed performing title roles at Opera Company of Philadelphia, Glimmerglass Opera, Glyndebourne Opera Festival in the UK and the BBC Proms in London, Palm Beach Opera, Castleton Festival, Crested Butte Music Festival, the Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano in Italy; and at Utah Festival Opera here in Cache Valley.

Also an active concert performer and recitalist, Tamara made her Carnegie Hall Debut in 2005 and has most recently performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Grand Teton Orchestra, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, the Met Chamber Ensemble, The Utah Symphony, the Nantucket Musical Arts Society, and toured throughout the US with the Musicians from Marlboro Festival. Tamara has also enjoyed coming back to Logan to perform recitals in the beautiful Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall.

This season Tamara will debut with the New York Philharmonic, Eugene Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Opera and then travel to Paris, London, Lucerne, New York, and California with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Spring tour.

Tamara thinks fondly of her undergraduate experience at Utah State University and is thankful for the way it prepared her for the rigors of a career as a professional singer. During her time at USU, Tamara studied with Dr. Cindy Dewey and still considers Dr. Dewey her primary voice teacher. She schedules voice lessons with her whenever she comes into town. Tamara's Mother and Father were both USU graduates, and loved the area so much that they decided to retire here last year. Tamara became a true Aggie with her husband, Nathan Mumford (B.S. '06) on Homecoming weekend in 2000. He is now a Dentist in Connecticut where the couple live with their 3-year-old son, Brian. When Tamara isn't singing she enjoys running, going on family bike rides, making lists, cleaning her house, and going on picnics in the park with her family.